Author Archives: tanya brown

The Farm Service Agency has issued a final rule that will help eliminate waste and abuse of farm program payments. “With this final rule we are codifying improvements that have allowed the FSA to reduce the error rate in the … Continue reading →

Sugar beet growers aren’t sure what to do once the spring planting season comes in. A lawsuit by environmental groups was successful in getting a judge to halt the planting of the genetically altered sugar beet seed until USDA completed … Continue reading →

The USDA Risk Management Agency issued a proposed rule today that would reward good performance from farmers participating in the federal crop insurance program. Based on the proposed program, farmers and ranchers who have limited or no losses would receive … Continue reading →

Farm products, including grain, oilseed and feed, will bring higher prices this year, according to USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber. But farmers also will have to pay more for what it takes to produce these products. Despite the increase, a … Continue reading →

The Conservation Reserve Program, which has protected the nation’s natural resources since 1985, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In March 1986, the first CRP contract was signed, igniting a movement that has helped reduce soil erosion by 622 million tons, … Continue reading →

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for January 2011. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.250, which is unchanged from December 2010, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year … Continue reading →

A report by USDA indicates an increase in no-till farming. In 2009, about 35.5 percent of cropland in the U.S. used to plant eight major crops — barley, corn, cotton, oats, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat —   relied on the … Continue reading →